Apne Apne Piñjare
by Mohan Naimishray

Mohan Naimishray’s Apne-apne piñjare (1995) is one of the most influential works of Dalit literature in Hindi and an outstanding instance of the ātmakathā (autobiography) that is the signature genre of Dalit self-expression. It is instructive to contrast Naimishray’s style of narration with that of Premchand (1880-1936), whose voice is that of a nationalist writer who could sympathize with the plight of Dalits but who could not render their suffering in the first person. (Several stories and articles by Premchand are available on this site.)

The selections excerpted here, vignettes from the author’s childhood, are written in a lively, colloquial style. The reader can just about smell the bazaars of Meerut—its enticing sweets but also the stenches of the leather work performed by the camār caste.

These episodes also constitute a literary broadside that masterfully lampoons the self-important upper castes and, indeed, undercuts the very premises of Brahmanical existence. Note in particular Naimishray’s description of a Hindu temple and the goings on inside and outside of its precincts—hardly the epitome of material or spiritual purity. Naimishray transforms the sacred symbols of high caste Hinduism into objects of ridicule.

-Allison Busch

On this page

The Hindi text of this story is available as a PDF with pages corresponding to the page numbers below. It is also available in Nastaliq.

If the words below appear as boxes or nonsense, please see the introduction page for help.

Glossary

pp. 11-12

गली

f. A narrow street, a lane, an alley

के भीतर

Inside

धात

1. m. A mineral, fossil, metal, ore. 2. f. Semen virile

मर्द / नामर्द

adj. Virile / impotent (मर्द of course also means "man," m.)

हकीम

Physician

इमामजस्ता

also इमामदस्ता m. mortar and pestle

कुटना

to be crushed

पुस्ता

powders
/minerals crushed in a mortar and pestle (take closely with the previous words)

हरम

m. a harem; adj. haram (prohibited under Islamic law)

अकूत

adj. Unestimable

संदूक

m. Container

तिजोरी

f. Chest, coffer, safe

चिनवाना

v.t. To have (a wall or a doorway) built up; to have (a
person) immured

फर्श

m. Floor

गड़वाना

v.t. To bury

ऐयार

m. wizard, a kind of spy-magician (see Chandrakantaintroduction on this site)

"The place of जट" Probably from जटिया (not जाट). A native speaker reports, "In
Rajasthan we have जिटया community everywhere. They are considered very
lower caste and of course very poor. In some cities the जटिया
neighbourhoods are famous for prostitution. जटिया people become very
happy when they have a female child."

छीपीवाड़ा

tailors' district

ठटेरवाड़ा

copper/metal workers' district

बनियापाड़ा

m. Quarter of the baniyas, merchants. (i.e. higher
caste)

नील

m. blue (also indigo, used in dye)

रोहतगी

This is an
upper caste group (kshatriya)

सुनार

m. A worker in gold, a goldsmith

कसाई

m. A butcher

पुलिया

f. culvert

लोद्धा

A native speaker reports, "I never heard about लोधदा. I know लढ्ढा
and लोढा are Jains." Here are some other thoughts: possibly related to लोहा , iron? Thus iron workers?
Or here is an entry from Platts's dictionary: m. The red Lodh-tree (from the bark of which an
astringent infusion is prepared which is used to fix colour in dyeing)

सैनी

f. a caste group. A native speaker said
said, "सैनी are confusing, in Hariyana they are माली (gardener) in
Rajasthan they are नाई (barber) and I think they used to be kshatriya."

[at this point,
he goes into the ridiculous names - some of them seem to be
idiomaticized versions of words, others are just ridiculous: चटनी, for
example]

ढोल

m. drum

دول

चोल

We know चोला is a
gown - but regardless, these are some fantastic names.
(And keep in mind the issue for dalits of having
their own name and identity --"we are not just your servants to be
talked to in this way--we are people!" Not having even a proper name or
not being recognized as such by upper castes is thus yet one more
humiliation)

چول

बिगाड़ना

v.t. 1. to spoil,
2. to corrupt (a person) 3. to cause loss

بگاڑنا

संबोधन करना

to
address somebody (it is related to the Sanskrit root बुध, from
which "Buddha" derives).